More and more retailers are logging on
Carole Sloan, Senior contributing editor -- Furniture Today, August 18, 2008
Talking with a number of furniture retailers in recent months, I've learned that the Internet is becoming more and more of a factor in their business activities.
For some, it's a matter of giving consumers a broad range of information — perhaps more detailed and understandable than hangtags and pitches from sales personnel.
For others the Web is clearly a link to sales — whether goods are sold online or in the store, after the consumer finds and digests information presented on the Internet.
And for a few others, it is an opportunity to stretch the store's offerings, bring into the assortment something “daring,” or even an item or two that the physical store has never carried.
But even more, say a number of retailers, the Internet offers an opportunity to really get to know their customers. Through technology, some retailers are capable of identifying what customers are looking for — down to color, size, price point, comfort features and so on. And reports from some indicate that these pieces of data are contributing to a reshaping of assortments — whether by location, economic strata, size of store or other factors.
What is even more interesting in terms of furniture retailing is the extent to which mass players like Wal-Mart and Target use their Web sites to merchandise ever growing amounts of furniture. Yes, real furniture — like leather sofas and full dining rooms.
Then there is the very recent move this spring by JCPenney to coordinate its direct (catalog and Internet) business with its in-store retail activities. The game plan is aimed at enabling customers in the stores to tap into the expanded assortment on the Internet and in the catalog via a personal walk-through with an in-store salesperson.
At Macy's, store executives say macys.com has been a resounding success, pulling customers into the stores.
It looks like more and more retailers in furnitureland are logging on.
